秋の野に咲きたる花を指折り
かき数ふれば七種の花
かき数ふれば七種の花
- Roma-ji
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Aki no no ni sakitaru hana o oyobi ori kakikazoureba nanakusa no hana
- English Translation
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In the autumn fields
the flowers that bloom there,
bending down my fingers,
as I count them, one by one:
there are seven kinds of flowers
- Meaning
- When I count on my fingers the flowers blooming in the autumn fields, there are seven kinds.
- Commentary
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Book Eight Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1537
Headnote: "Two poems by Yamanoue no Omi Okura on the flowers of the autumn fields"
Counting on his fingers the flowers blooming in the autumn fields, the poet finds seven kinds. The following sedōka, 1538, names the seven flowers, and the pair is famous as the origin of the so-called seven flowers of autumn.
The author, Yamanoue no Okura, was an official and poet of the early Nara period. He went to Tang China as a member of an embassy and later became governor of Chikuzen. He is known for poems that look closely at human life and society.
The original text contains a note, "the first," at the end of the poem; as it is not part of the poem, it has been removed.
The first line names the fields where autumn flowers bloom.
The second line, with the continuative "tari," means "the flowers that are in bloom."
The third line means "bending my fingers"; "oyobi" means finger.
In the fourth line, "kaki" is a prefix, and the line means "when I count them."
The final line ends on a noun, giving the result of the count and leading to the next poem, which names the flowers.
- Author
- Yamanoue no Okura
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
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Yoi ni aite ashita omonami nabari no no hagi wa chiriniki momichi haya tsuge
- Next Poem
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Aki no ta no hota o karigane kurakeku ni yo no hodoro ni mo nakiwataru kamo